HISTORY
The Grand Rapids Symphony 1930-2004
Great Depression Affects the Orchestra
The War Years
The 1950s and ‘60s
Full-Time Musicians Are Hired
Symphony Achieves "Regional" Status
Symphony Receives National Attention
David Lockington Leads the Orchestra
Orchestra’s Rich History Result of Community Support
Also be sure to view Grand Rapids Symphony historic photos compiled by the Public Library at: http://www.grpl.org/collections/grhsty_spcoll/exhibits/symphony.html
The Grand Rapids Symphony 1930-2004
During the late 1920s streetcars were the main mode of transportation downtown Grand Rapids. Many people had to shovel coal in their home furnaces and ringer washers were the norm for cleaning clothes. Daily activities took a great deal of time and energy, yet Grand Rapids citizens had a heartfelt need to experience great music during their few leisure hours.
This desire led to the formation of the Grand Rapids Symphony. The orchestra officially began in 1930, but its existence is rooted in significant earlier events. In 1917, a group of 25 musicians who were members of St. Cecilia Music Society began meeting to practice, and for the next few years they performed concerts. In 1923, Karl Wecker, a gifted musician and director of the Grand Rapids Junior College Music Department accepted the job of conductor, but three years later, organizational problems plagued the orchestra and it did not perform from 1926 to 1929.
In 1930, Wecker reorganized the Grand Rapids Symphony Society. There were 246 subscribers and six pairs of concerts presented at the Powers Theatre on Pearl Street. In 1932, the women of St. Cecilia helped to sell concert tickets. With a performance by the Symphony in 1933, the 4,500 seat Grand Rapids Civic Auditorium opened it doors and that season six concerts were performed there on Saturday evenings.
Great Depression Affects the Orchestra
Under the cloud of the Depression, the U.S. economy struggled and a government program to provide work for unemployed musicians was created as part of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration under President D. Franklin Roosevelt. Musicians from the Grand Rapids community and beyond comprised the orchestra, which played regularly for an average ticket price of 40-42 cents. The Symphony roster included 88 musicians, of these, 36 were compensated through the Federal Music Program (FMP).
By 1939, economic recovery was underway and the 10th Anniversary Season of the Grand Rapids Symphony was celebrated, marked by a renewal, and continuing steps toward becoming a professional orchestra. By this time a regular concert series was provided to the community. Musician personnel turnover was decreasing and finances were becoming stable. Yet, change was also a constant. In 1940, conductor Karl Wecker resigned to take a post with the Federal Musician Program in California, and he would later go on to become director of the Hollywood Bowl. He would be missed after leading the Symphony since it’s official beginning.
During the decade of 1940 to 1950, four internationally renowned conductors took the podium. They were: Thor Johnson (1940-42); Nicolai Malko (1942-46); Rudolph Ganz (1946-48); Jose Enchaniz (1948-54); and Désiré DeFauw (1954-58).
The War Years
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, shock waves were felt nationwide and would eventually affect the Grand Rapids Symphony as well. A shortage of gasoline and tires hampered the transportation of musicians who lived out of town, and some musicians resigned to join the armed forces. Conductor Thor Johnson left to join the Army. "Before the war, there was just a handful of women in the orchestra. When the men began to join the service, more women took their places," says Symphony violinist Wilma Lancioni, who played for 42 years in the orchestra. A U.S. military weather school was housed in the Pantlind Hotel and Civic Auditorium, so the orchestra moved its concerts to the nearby Keith’s Theater in 1943.
While the effects of the war were notable, so was the orchestra’s gradual growth and improvement during this time. One important key to growth was the Grand Rapids Symphony Women’s Committee, officially founded in 1941. During the following years, the fundraising efforts of this dedicated group would prove to be extremely valuable. Activities by Women’s Committee members throughout the orchestra’s history and more recently, include used clothing sales, radiothons, telemarketing campaigns, theater bus trips, various benefit programs and the creation of a cookbook.
From the Symphony’s earliest days, children’s concerts were a priority, and as time went on education became a central focus of the orchestra’s mission. In 1944, the Fifth Grade Concerts were begun, an important educational outreach that continues today reaching more than 22,000 students annually.
The 1950s and 60s
During the 1950s the orchestra began what was called the Young Musician’s Contest, a competition designed for high school musicians. Winners were rewarded with the opportunity to perform with the orchestra. The Contest showcased the strong array of budding musicians in the community and garnered a great deal of publicity. Also, during these years, WOOD radio broadcast portions of Symphony concerts and Grand Rapids Press entertainment writer Gerald Elliot wrote the concert program notes.
Robert Zeller, who was conductor from 1959 to 1964, had a profound impact on the Symphony and community with his enthusiasm for music and demand for high artistic standards. Under Zeller’s leadership, concerts were near sell-outs at the Civic Auditorium, and there was a growing hope for a new concert hall. The orchestra performed a regular season of six to eight classical programs. The Grand Rapids Youth Symphony was organized in 1959 and gave its first performance at the St. Cecilia Music Society the following year. In 1962, the Grand Rapids Symphonic Choir was founded. It was organized with a great deal of assistance from Symphony Board Member Mary Ann Keeler. She set up a choral clinic for interested singers who wanted to audition. The clinic was led by the notable Hugh Ross, conductor of the Schola Cantorum of New York City and the Berkshire Music Festival.
Carl Karapetian would take the baton from 1964 to 1968. During his tenure a Symphony administrative office was opened in the Exhibitor’s Building, and the orchestra joined with the Civic Theatre to promote opera in the community. This partnership with the Civic Theatre, combined with a collaboration with other arts organizations, led to the formation of the Greater Grand Rapids Arts Council in 1967.
As conductor from 1968 to 1973, Gregory Millar hired out-of-town musicians in certain key positions. In 1969 the orchestra’s first full-time manager was hired. One year later, the Symphony received its first federal grant, assisted by then Congressman Gerald Ford. A string ensemble was formed to perform in Kent County Schools, and tickets to the Young People’s Series were made available to disadvantaged children. In 1971, the first Cabaret Pops Series was presented in the Civic Auditorium during the summer.
Full-Time Musicians Are Hired
The hire of Theo Alcantara as music director in 1973 signaled one of the largest growth spurts in the orchestra’s history. Alcantara’s desire was to see the orchestra reach new levels of artistic excellence and an Artists-In-Residence program was proposed to elevate key positions. Mr. and Mrs. Richard DeVos provided a gift of $40,000 in 1974 to hire four full-time string players: concertmaster, principal second violin, principal viola and principal cello. These musicians were the founding members of the DeVos String Quartet. Also hired as part of the Artists-In-Residence program and funded by the DeVoses was a full-time bass player, Peter Spring, who still performs with the Symphony today. "It felt like we were on the ground floor of something that was going to grow," says Spring. In addition, the Women’s Committee raised the funds to underwrite a full-time pianist.
The addition of full-time, professional musicians raised excitement and sent ticket sales up. A brass quintet was proposed to expand the Artists-In-Residence program to 10 full-time musicians. In the spring of 1975, a Mozart Festival was held at Fountain Street Church and drew large crowds. The quality of performance was unequaled in the orchestra’s history and Alcantara remarked, "now this orchestra can play anything." Plans were set in motion to build a new concert hall. A woodwind quintet and timpanist were added to the Artists-In-Residence program, to bring the number of full-time musicians to 17.
Symphony Achieves "Regional" Status
In 1976, as stipulated by the American Symphony Orchestra League, the Grand Rapids Symphony officially claimed the title of "regional" orchestra with a budget over $500,000. More programs were developed such as "Harmony" which provided school educational programs and "Taproots" which delivered out-of-town concerts. Two new series, Coffee Concerts and the Chamber Series were added. During the 1977-1978 Season, the orchestra performed more than 900 services in concerts, rehearsals, educational performances and out-of-town concerts. Alcantara had taken the orchestra to a new level. The following season, ticket sales soared as patrons flocked to see Alcantara conduct his final season as music director, following his acceptance of an offer to conduct the Phoenix Symphony. The Symphony’s 50th anniversary was celebrated during the 1979-80 Season, and Alcantara was retained as musical advisor while the search took place for a new conductor.
In June 1980, Semyon Bychkov was hired and he began his tenure following Alcantara’s long-range plan of selecting 10 new Artists-In-Residence members, to bring the number of full-time musicians to 35. That fall the long-awaited new DeVos Hall opened with a large community-wide celebration. Also under Bychkov’s direction, the Symphony performed for the first time at Orchestra Hall in Detroit. During his tenure Bychkov displayed a willingness to do his part for Symphony fundraisers, whether it was skiing or eating hot dogs at the Corner Bar in Rockford. Perhaps his most memorable moment was when he became a U.S citizen during a Fourth of July Symphony concert at Ah-Nab-Awen Park next to the Ford Museum. In 1985, after nearly five years in Grand Rapids he left to conduct the Buffalo Philharmonic. That same year, John Varineau, a faculty member at Grand Rapids Baptist College joined the Symphony as associate conductor.
Symphony Receives National Attention
Following a national search, the Board of Directors appointed Catherine Comet as music director in June, 1986. National media attention was cast on the Grand Rapids Symphony because she was the first woman to lead a fully professional regional orchestra. Under her leadership the orchestra would continue its progress toward greater artistic excellence. "Catherine’s forte was contemporary music. No matter how complicated the rhythm got, she never missed a beat," says Susanne Vander Starre, a violinist with the Symphony for 50 years. Under Comet’s tenure new concert series were started: the Casual Classics, Coffee Classics, Lollipop, Family Series were introduced, as well as the annual "Access to Music" concert for those with special needs. The Symphony also received two ASCAP awards for innovative programming, recorded three CD’s for commercial sale and became the first orchestra in the state to receive the Governor’s Arts Award. In January 1988, Comet also led the orchestra for its second performance in Detroit’s Orchestra Hall.
In 1995 after much research and planning, the Picnic Pops at Cannonsburg Ski Area was held with original support from NBD Bank and an army of volunteers. This outdoor series, now called the Chase Picnic Pops, furthered the Symphony’s mission to provide a full range of quality orchestral performances that are affordable and attractive to a broad audience. After conducting 11 seasons, Comet bid the Symphony farewell to pursue new opportunities. No one since Karl Wecker, who conducted the Symphony from 1923 to 1940, had led the Symphony longer than Comet.
David Lockington Leads the Orchestra
During the 1997-1998 season, audience members were encouraged to experience the seven guest conductors who were potential successors to Comet. One such guest conductor was David Lockington, but sometime after his turn on the podium he asked that his name be removed from consideration. Many were disappointed because they were impressed with his debut leading the orchestra. However, their disappointment was later replaced by elation when he requested that his candidacy be reinstated. His musical passion and charisma put him at the top of the list and he joined the Symphony in January 1999 as music director. Audiences and musicians alike were thrilled.
Lockington joined the orchestra just after the hire of another new face at the Symphony--William Ryberg. He became its new president in October of 1998, succeeding the retiring president Peter W. Smith, who served the orchestra for 13 years.
Under Lockington’s leadership in 2000, the Symphony released a CD, featuring the music of Aaron Copland, including "Lincoln Portrait" with Richard DeVos providing the narration. In October 2000, the orchestra toured northern Michigan and the upper peninsula performing five concerts and reaching thousands of people who normally would not have the opportunity to hear an 80-piece professional orchestra.
With funding from the Wege Foundation, an exciting new partnership was initiated with the orchestra and local gifted artists during the 2001-2002 Season. This collaboration is designed to bridge cultures through a shared appreciation of music. A series of educational events and concerts at Wealthy Theatre aimed at children and adults were held in January and February 2002. The final event, "Duke Ellington’s Musical Panorama" was held at DeVos Performance Hall and featured the orchestra, a Community Chorus, Ellington-style big band, dancers and others. In a continuation of the orchestra’s collaboration with the community, "Spirituals and Beyond" was held in DeVos Performance Hall in April 2003. In February 2004, "Young, Gifted and Black" will be presented by the orchestra, featuring local high school choirs, gospel choruses and dancers. Educational events for children will also be held at Wealthy Theatre.
Reaching as many people as possible is the mission of the Symphony and a strong tenet of Lockington’s vision. Under Lockington’s leadership, along with Classical Romantic compositions, the orchestra is performing musical works by Americans, women and people of color. In 2002, the orchestra performed African-American composer Adolphus Hailstork’s "Symphony No. 2," and the following year, the world premiere of Hailstork’s "Symphony No. 3, which he dedicated to Lockington and the orchestra. Both works have been recorded as companion pieces on a CD to be released during the Symphony’s 75th Anniversary Season.
The exquisite sound of Mozart came alive during the Symphony’s Mozart Festival held May 14-18, 2002. Listeners experienced the breadth of Mozart’s musical language during performances of his later works, including his "Requiem," presented at the beautiful Basilica of Saint Adalbert.
On Oct. 21, 2003 the Symphony had the honor of performing in Detroit’s new Max M. Fisher Music Center. This marked the orchestra’s third performance in Detroit.
Orchestra’s Rich History Result of Community Support
As the Grand Rapids Symphony celebrated its 75th year, history shows that the Grand Rapids Symphony has grown to become one of the finest regional orchestras in the country because of the strong community support it has received. "The community deserves a huge round of applause for developing and adding to the Symphony’s growth all of these years," said Symphony President William Ryberg. "The orchestra is a community treasure that touches thousands of lives each year. Based on our history of achievement and continual growth, we look forward to an even greater future, thanks to continued support from our wonderful community."